Hi, Reader!

As school starts back up (today is the first day of school for my district!), a few things are certain:

• Nobody wants to get up early.
• Someone is going to walk into school and then realize they’ve forgotten something important at home.
• Free time becomes increasingly scarce.
• College application deadlines get even closer.

And the third and fourth ones can feel especially true for our new seniors, who are balancing the stress of college applications with the fun (and intensity) of senior year.

Application season creates unprecedented time management challenges, not to mention the inevitable parent-student arguments (students often tell me “All they do is talk about college. All the time.”).

So what are parents (and students) to do to balance getting sh!* done with making this a collaborative and (hopefully somewhat) enjoyable process?

The most effective approach combines external structure with gradually increasing student ownership. Here’s what that might look like for parents and students:

• Start by creating a master calendar with all deadlines, working backward to establish mini-deadlines for components like personal statement and supplemental essay drafts, recommendation requests, and FAFSA completion.
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  ​Hint: Here are my favorite essay-writing resources in a Google Doc that you can save!
• Break larger tasks into specific actionable steps — not just "work on essays" but "brainstorm Common App topics" or "draft activity descriptions."
• Identify consistent weekly work blocks that work with your/your student’s schedule for completing application-related tasks (ideally, 2-3 shorter sessions rather than occasional marathons).
• For many students, accountability partnerships — whether with parents, peers, or counselors—provide crucial motivation through regular check-ins on progress.

Will this solve all the arguments and frustrations? Probably not. Might it help? I hope so!

What are y’all doing to manage the chaos of back-to-school days with college applications? I’d love to hear your strategies.

Oh, I’m thinking about offering some office hours where students can reserve time to come in and get support with any part of their written applications. I’m still working out the details, but is that something you might be interested in? Let me know!

Happy Writing!

Julia

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